Winter Previews: Bonny Eagle

Alpine SkiingCoach: Sean MunkacsiKey athletes: Jacob Polchies, Sam Cousins, Nolan McCullough, Sarah Baxter, Maggie Munkacsi, Estelle Ballard, Clair MunkacskiOutlook: Munkacsi is eager to hit the slopes; no doubt his kids are too. Happily, they’ll soon get their chance: “The early snow and cold temps will allow us to get a substantial head-start training on snow at Shawnee Peak,” he says. “That in conjunction with intensive dryland training will help racers come into the start of the season strong, flexible and focused.” On the boys’ side of things, Polchies and Cousins return as top scorers, while Nolan hopes to carry over the momentum into this season that he generated with a surge at the end of last season. “With several other younger athletes continuing to improve, the boys side has the potential to turn into a very competitive group.” Over on the girls’ side, Baxter and Maggie Munkacsi, two seniors, will lead, while Ballard and Claire Munkacsi will provide much of the outfit’s firepower. Worth noting: Bonny Eagle and Massabesic both send kids to compete alongside the Rams, something Munkacsi and crew are thankful for. Finally: Munkacsi nods as well at yet another key figure in the program: “Our ever-faithful and always reliable bus driver/assistant coach, Kenny Ficket.”

Boys BasketballCoach: John TrullLast year’s record: 5-14Key players lost: Connor SiroisKey returners: Zach Maturo, Will HendrixKey newcomers: Cam Gardner, Jacob HumphreyOutlook: “The Scots will look to build off last year’s first-round playoff win with a deeper run this year,” Trull says simply. Trull is new to the head coach’s post, but not new to the program, meaning the team’s transition to his leadership style ought to be smooth. Maturo, meanwhile, is the team’s lead attackman; expect fiery performances from him throughout the winter.

Girls BasketballCoach: Scott ReganLast year’s record: 14-6Key players lost: Mia Ferrante, Deirdre SanbornKey returners: Mackenzie Emery (sr.), Sam Averill (sr.), Taylor Johnson (sr.), Emma Abbott (sr.), Avianna Rath (jr.), Allexius Theberge (jr.), Emily Bartash (so.)Key matchups: Dec. 7 vs. South Portland, Dec. 11 @ Massabesic, Dec. 14 vs. ScarboroughOutlook: The Scots had a breakout year in ’17-18, but they may not be quite the same team this time around – they said goodbye to some critical figures last winter – and it remains to be seen how readily they’ll find a new groove. “The first few weeks of the season will be very telling,” Regan says. “We graduated a good chunk of our inside presence last year, and we will need to find somebody to get those rebounds and inside points lost. South Portland’s height and inside presence will be a solid test for our newer posts, and a challenge for our guards. The next two games are against teams that we have established a pretty good rivalry with, and we should see how we can handle the emotions in a game like that. Our goal is to be playing at our peak level as we roll into February, surviving a little bit of some possible growing pains at the beginning parts of the season.” Even while unanswered questions about their post play linger, though, the Scots retain a lot of talent and determination in central contributors like Emery and Averill, so it’s a good bet they’ll rise to the level of the challenges they face and ultimately turn in a satisfying run.

Boys HockeyCoach: Loren BlairLast year’s record: 4-14Key returners: Brady Cormier, Chris Westgate, Kurtis Morin, Dylan TozierKey newcomers: Gavin Sperlich, Joe AtwaterOutlook: “Not many seniors, but the team has a lot of heart,” Blair says simply. “We hope to be over .500 with the schedule we have this season.”

Girls HockeyCoach: Nat GermondLast year’s results: 0-18Key returners: Isis Adams (sr., D); Anna Rathbun (sr., F); CC Cochran (sr., D); Anna Nault (jr., D); Izzy Wareham (jr., G); Molly Rathbun (so., F)Key newcomers: Brooke Guimond (fr., F)Key matchups: Mt. Ararat, Biddeford, Yarmouth, BrunswickOutlook: The Gorham/Bonny Eagle co-op program hopes to return to the playoffs this season, and they might just have a respectable shot at doing so. The team features a heaping group of veterans with two or three years of experience apiece; moreover, Adams returns after missing the 2017-18 stretch with a torn ACL. Cochran and Nault are strong defenders and Wareham brings three years as a starter to the post of goalie. The team began their winter at 1-1 – a decent start they intend to improve on.

Boys Indoor TrackCoach: Mike BurlesonLast year’s results: 10-5, 8th at SMAAs, 13th at StatesKey returners: Zack Allocca, Aiden Willey, Andrew Pendleton, Hunter Goodale, Ian Reilly, Justin Tomison, Nolan DavisOutlook: The Scots said goodbye to a big group of seniors last year, but return their two top scorers in Allocca, a senior sprinter/jumper, and Willey, a junior distance maestro. Allocca set new personal high-water marks at the 2018 outdoor State Meet, taking third in the Long Jump (21-01.00) and second in the Triple Jump (43-07.25). He also anchored the first-place 4×400 quartet. Willey, meanwhile, took fourth and fifth at that same meet in the Mile and Two Mile races, respectively. In fact, he ran sub-4:30 in the Mile in his last three races. Recently, he turned in yet another strong season of cross country. Pendleton, Goodale, Reilly, Tomison and Davis are critical figures as well; all should pull down points for the Scots as they aim to improve on both their regular-season and post-season results from last winter.

WrestlingCoach: Josh LundLast year’s results: 7th at Class A StatesKey athletes lost: Brian Dupuis, Caleb Frost, Tyler Fitz, Alex SmithKey returners: Garrett Gonyea, Andrew Thomas, Andrew ThomasKey newcomers: Caden Frost, Cam FrostKey matchups: Marshwood, Noble, Sanford, MassabesicOutlook: “We are a young team with a lot of potential,” Lund says. “Despite only having one junior and one senior this year, I think the season is looking like it will be a good one. I’m excited for the start of the season and to see how we progress throughout the year.”